Rock Lobster
by EarlyMorningWriter
Summary: Danny, Kara, Halsey and Vince undertake a special mission.
1. Chapter 1

Note: I am working on an S3 post-canon fic and this is sort of* a preview.

**Rock Lobster, B-52's**

Crouching behind the shrubbery surrounding the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis, Commander Green nudged his companion to take the field glasses he was holding. He spoke softly into the mic clipped to his collar. "Thimbelina this is Frog Prince. POTUS is exiting the front steps now with his entourage."

"Confirmed, Frog Prince. Package was received and placed in the top left drawer of his desk, as predicted. Lunch is being served in 10 and secret service just passed my desk headed west. You are go for entry." Kara's voice in his ear held a hint of laughter that spurred a matching smile on his own face.

"With any luck I'll see you in 10."

He patted Vince's knee and the two men, dressed inconspicuously in khakies and polos rose up out of the rhododendron's. They quickly ducked into the overhang of the service door where Vince pulled a small toolkit out of his back pocket.

"Just like old times, isn't it?" Vince worked on the lock while Danny kept lookout. Being a drizzly February day, there weren't many people around. Although people were beginning to migrate into the city, St. Louis was far from the bustling place it had been and the president had prioritized having personal body guards over guarding the building. Since the president's secret service detail had left with him, the building was less secure than usual. Vince nodded to the top corner and Danny carefully held the alarm system magnet in place with a flathead screwdriver as the big man slipped the deadbolt and swung the door open. They entered quietly and carefully closed it behind them, leaving the screwdriver wedged in place. By the time the two secret service men left in the building made it to this side, they planned to be long gone.

This hall, a dark and narrow afterthought, had once accessed judges chambers and file storage. The two men quickly hurried to the intersection with the main hall running north - south through the building. They flattened themselves against the plaster and listened carefully. The main entry hall was to their right and they needed to cross it while the guard was distracted. The signal that it was clear should come any second.

"Oh Ensign Ross. I don't know if I'll have energy to make it back up the stairs today. Do you think you could give me a hand?" A slow clicking of heels and tap of nails echoed off the marble tiles as Kara approached the guard's rotunda. "I should have insisted Chandler take offices on the first floor, but I had no idea pregnancy would be this draining! Who knew I'd have to make twenty trips a day tot he first floor restrooms?" Danny nodded to Vince. As soon as the shuffle of shoes and paws rising the steps sounded, they silently strode across the hall to the opposite wing. As they passed in front of the stairs, Danny gave his wife's lovely backside, which could be seen slowly waddling up one step at a time, a cheeky salute. Even at 38 weeks he knew she could actually take those steps at a jog.

It was relatively simple to enter the president's office and they quickly located the item they were after, a small sealed plastic bag holding two tiny tablets. Vince zipped it into his tool case for safekeeping. "Thimbelina, are we clear for extraction?" Danny whispered in his comm. When there was no response, he frowned at Vince and the two leaned against the president's large desk in silence. They knew the drill. Wait a minute and then request info again. Vince picked at his fingernails while Danny ran through the list of names Kara had given him for homework this morning. One thing was for certain, he was not letting her name his daughter Fiona. Although he thought he might accept Travis for a boy. It had a nice ring to it.

"Thimbelina..." He tried again. This time apprehension pricked at him. Had she been caught using the radio? Chandler was supposed to be out to lunch with the president and this morning's guests. It had been a stroke of luck that Kara had happened to see the note on his schedule that the guests had promised to bring samples and helped hastily hatch this plan.

The two men exchanged a worried glance when they heard a muffled conversation in the hall. At the sound of footsteps, they rapidly ducked into the small attached bathroom. Careful not to make a sound, Vince slipped a nasty looking knife from his boot. Danny carefully positioned himself so he could see the office door reflected in the bathroom mirror and flicked on his comm so Kara would know they might need backup. He knew she had her service pistol, a 9mm Glock that she could handle like nobody's business, in her desk drawer, not to mention the 75 pounds of lethal dog that was likely right under her feet.

Two large men, one in NWUs and one in dress blues, pushed inside the door and immediately headed to the same desk drawer they had just emptied. Danny exchanged a worried glance with Vince. They might have the element of surprise on their hands, but these two guys were formidable opponents. As the taller of the two men reached for the drawer the other slammed his hand on the table. "Damnit!" He swore in a gravelly voice. "I've never pulled rank on you before, but this time I have to. If those drug reps only brought one sample, it's mine."

The two men stared each other down. At six four, and packing 225 pounds of muscle, few men ever challenged Commander Mike Slattery over anything. But this was Rear Admiral Tom Chandler and he wasn't planning on backing down. "Oh come on, it's my anniversary and I can either drown my sorrows at the bar or with this. You're just going to give it to Jed. Everyone heard he took your new nanny on a date.

"I most certainly will not give it to him. You know as well as I do that Rachel gets back from Lima tomorrow. That's way more important than your appointment at Madame LaFluer's. Chandler accented appointment with air quotes.

Finally, the taller man relented. "Fine. But if there are more than one, we split them 50/50."

A muscle in Chandler's tightly clenched jaw ticked. "No way. I have a lot of lost time to make up for." Danny had to bite back a giggle. Imagine that. The two most powerful men in the Navy were arguing over who got to steal drugs from the President's office.

Suddenly Vince started to shake. Danny could see he was holding in sneeze. A soft "Kerchew!" sounded as he tried to swallow it and remain silent. Instantly, Slattery and Chandler swung their weapons toward the bathroom door.

"Come out with your hands where we can see them." Ordered Chandler. Vince slipped his knife away and flashed Danny an apologetic frown.

With a sigh, Danny nudged the door open with his foot. Seeing two men they recognized, Slattery and Chandler relaxed. This isn't what you think." Began Slattery. "I have a blood press.."

"What the hell are you two doing in here?" Demanded Chandler. "Stealing from the president? Who are you working for?" He grabbed the little tool case from Vince's hand and set it on the desk. He then proceeded to liberate three knives, two handguns, a boxcutter, and four zip ties from the man's pockets. From Danny's he removed a handkerchief and one half eaten Cliff bar.

"Uh hi. I guess you caught us." Danny tried to stall. He needed a cover and he couldn't think of anything. He was still reeling from the fact that Slattery and Chandler were trying to steal the same package they were.

"Uhm," he said the first thing that came into his head. "I'm meeting my wife for lunch?"

Slattery looked at the pile of confiscated items, clearly confused. Chandler had an amused twinkle in his eye. "In the president's office?"

Vince caught on. "Well, they couldn't very well meet in her office. They wouldn't want to disturb you while you were working Sir." Danny heard the faint click of heels approaching from the hallway. He hoped she had a good reason why they needed to meet here. The door swung open and she rushed into the room, followed closely by Halsey. If Danny was shocked to see her jacket half unbuttoned and her hair down. He was doubly shocked when she said "Ok, We have 15 minutes, let's do.." She trailed to a stop as if just now seeing the other three men int he room.

"Oh dear. Oh my." His adorable wife blushed twenty shades of red. "Sorry sirs, I, um." She began to rapidly re-button her jacket.

Chandler turned equally as red and Danny shrank under his gaze. "I though lunch meetings were what got you into trouble in the first place?" He rolled his eyes. "And in the president's office none-the-less? My God. In two days the Prime Minister of Japan is going to sit across from the president at that desk." Chandler threw up his hands. "Maybe I was wrong giving you that promotion.

Slattery narrowed his eyes. "You brought a friend to sneak in here with you to surprise your wife? That's pretty kinky."

Danny bit his cheek to keep a straight face. "He's a good lookout."

Now fully buttoned, Kara slipped to his side, one hand sliding behind his back and the other resting on his chest. "Yeah, Vince was going to guard outside while, you know." Behind his back Danny felt her wave her hand at the dog.

"Uh-huh, you don't say." Slattery continued to look skeptically at Vince. There was an awkward pause as the five of them stood looking each other up and down. Clearly everyone wanted some reason to be the last to leave the room because otherwise they would be scattering like cockroaches.

Danny saw Halsey gently nudge the small tool case with his snout. To distract the other men while Kara gave another signal behind him, he began speaking again. "You know how it is. I've been away a lot these last few months since we got to St. Louis and well, sometimes you just gotta be ready when the urge hits."

Under his arm, Kara gave a little shrug. He looked down to see that she had plastered on her most charming smile. "Yeah, come on, you both were newlyweds once." She nodded at Chandler. "Twice." Behind his back she waved her hand again and Halsey trotted out the door with the case in his mouth.

They likewise began stepping toward the door. "So, I guess this was a failure. We will ah, see you later." Kara was still beaming as they reached the threshold. "Vince care to join us for lunch?"

Vince reached for his items but Chandler cut him off. "Leave it here."

"But, that's my.." The older man protested.

"We'll talk about this later operator. Slattery and I have to decide what to tell Michener now.

Vince gave him a derisive look. "Fine, I'm sure you'll rise to the occasion, Sir." It was no secret that after years of working independently, Vince resented the yoke of Chandler's command.

The threesome made a quick exit to the rotunda area where Halsey was sitting patiently, the black case under one paw. Vince reached to remove it but the dog let out a low growl and he quickly pulled his hand back. "Here." Commanded Kara and Halsey nudged the case to rest between her feet.

"Kara, I think you missed your calling. You are a splendid actress." Vince gave her a quick hug.

"Thanks!" She couldn't help but blush, still a little surprised that she'd managed to convince the Admiral that she was going to climb on top of the president's desk and.."

"That was some good thinking. After little Vinnie is born, I could turn you into a heck of an agent you know."

At his words, Kara shot Danny a worried glance. "I think I should stick with my current job, but I'm always happy to work with you Sir."

Vince shook his head. "I know. I know. Someone has to keep all the Admirals' in line. Anyhow, they've still got my best knife in there. And well, this is the time for taking action, isn't it? Gonna have to double back for it. Can I take my cut now?"

Danny nodded and knelt to retrieve the case. Despite a little drool on the outside it was none the worse for wear. He carefully removed the little bag and handed one blue tablet to Vince. "Be careful with that. Only one more left in the world as far as we know."

"Yeah, Yeah. You just tell our mutual friend that this was my fee for having to work when I'm at the age for making things happen. See you on Friday for the BBQ."

"Are you going to bring your new squeeze so I can finally meet her?" Kara asked with a fake innocent smile. She had been scheming to set Vince up with every woman over 50 since he'd arrived in St. Louis.

"We'll see how well tonight goes." Vince answered her with a big grin. "We're going to watch the sunset from some old bathtubs up overlooking the river."

Danny threw back his head and laughed. "Well, just don't forget. If it takes more than four hours, you better call someone and get some help with that."

Vince gave him a stern look. "Now listen here Danny boy. I am at the age where giving up just isn't who I am."

They split up and Danny and Kara made their way across the parking lot to the behemoth of an SUV he insisted she drive. After they strapped in and Halsey was ensconced in the back he took her hand. "That almost went terrible but we really turned it around. You were brilliant."

She smiled and kissed his knuckles. "I'll never be able to look Chandler straight in the face again, but I'm just glad it worked out. It will be worth it when we see the look on Tex's face."

"And Ruby's. She's going to be thrilled too." As they drove through the streets of St. Louis Danny marveled at the changes. When they'd arrived in October the place had been a ghost town. Trash had been piling up on the streets, cars abandoned everywhere. People had been living in alleys for fear of entering buildings and encountering the virus, not to mention corpses. Now new life was coming back into the city. Crews were slowly clearing and sanitizing buildings, and parts of town were beginning to look normal again.

After a few more minutes of quiet she asked. "You didn't promise we'd name the baby Vincent if it's a boy, did you?" Danny looked over and she was absent mindendly patting her belly and chewing her lower lip. "Because it's a perfectly good name, but well, I have to admit, I've already picked a boy's name and I'm kind of set on it."

Not the names again! Chandler had told him a few weeks ago that the secret to the names was that as soon as she agreed to liking a name he could tolerate, to just start acting like they had agreed upon it. "You don't even want to know the suggestions Darien started coming up with after eight hormone powered months." He'd said.

"Is it on the list?" They were down to four boy's and four girl's names and all of them were pretty good at this point. "I have a favorite too."

Kara shook her head. "Not on the list, sorry. I tried to talk myself out of it, but I keep coming back to the idea." Danny pulled into the parking lot outside a small diner a few miles away from the courthouse. Several cars and even more trucks were parked in the lot. "Looks like she's doing good business today." Kara commented.

"Do you want to stay in the car? The crowd here can be a little rough." Danny reached over the backseat to get the little black case.

"Are you kidding me? I'm not afraid of a few bikers. Besides, we should say thank you to Tex together." He got out and opened the back door so Halsey could bound out beside him. The second his paws hit the ground, the dog made a bee line for the passenger side. Danny unzipped the black case and pocketed the small bag containing the precious tablet. Crossing around to the passenger side himself, he took in the image of his beautiful wife. Her dark hair shone in the weak winter sun. As she lifted her hand to swipe an errant strand from her face, her uniform molded to the new curves of her blossoming body. She said she hated feeling like a cow all the time, but Danny thought she looked sexier than ever. He took her hand and drew her close. Her cheeks had a pretty flush to them and he couldn't resist tilting her mouth up for a kiss.

At this point he had to bend a little awkwardly over her belly to fit them together, but he didn't mind. And apparently she did not either. She groaned into his mouth and grabbed the belt loops of is khakies, pulling him even closer. "Do you think Chandler is going to be upset if we just don't get back to work after this?" She asked between kisses.

Danny really didn't care whether Chandler minded or not. At this stage of the game, hormones were a tricky thing and he wasn't taking any chances. "Nope. Let's put this mission to bed, so to speak, and then head home."

They headed up the walk toward the diner, hand in hand. A blast of country music and the smell of greasy food hit him as he held the heavy door for Kara. A wall of men in work shirts and ball caps, who looked like they were the age for knowing how to get things done, lined the counter while several families and groups filled the booths. A woman in a baby blue waitress uniform with Clara Belle red hair looked up when they entered. "Well if it isn't my favorite couple!" She called over her shoulder to the short order cook visible through the window. She eyed Kara speculatively and cracked her gum. "You look ready to pop little lady. Don't think you'll fit in a booth anymore."

Kara blushed as practically every man at the counter swiveled on their stool to look her up and down. Danny's instinct, to step even closer and clearly indicate that they were together, was foiled by Halsey who stuck to her leg like glue. "Thanks Ruby, but we're not here to stay. Is Tex around?"

"Oh he's out back in the office taking care of business. I'll get him. Why don't you at least let me get you some fried to go. That way Danny boy doesn't have to make a late night run later when you get your craving."

She pushed through the swinging doors to the back and Danny heard her snapping out "Drop some fries Hal." Tot eh short order cook as she made her way toward the office. A minute later Tex hustled out through the same door. He immediately wrapped Kara in a big hug and pressed a paper bag into her hand. "You can't eat fries three meals a day you know. That little one needs a salad every once and a while."

"Three meals a day?" Danny gave Tex a questioning look.

"I might have stopped in for breakfast." At his alarmed expression Kara continued "For eggs. Dr. Scott suggested I eat more protein. I just had the fries on the side. Not much different than hash browns really."

Tex laughed and leaned on the edge of the scarred linoleum counter. "Oh I'm just teasing you KFC with a G, you can come here and have whatever you want, whenever you want. What can old Tex do for you today? Have you decided to exchange your shiny new boyscout of a husband in favor of a more broken in model?"

Kara's grin was a mile wide. "Ha, Ha. I am in no condition to fight Ruby for you Tex. No, We've been thinking of the right way to thank you for Baltimore and the opportunity presented itself today." She nodded toward Danny, who was extracting the small bag from his hip pocket. "The president had a visitor who brought a little something we thought you would enjoy."

Danny placed the bag in Tex's hand. "We just, well, we thought we could never thank you enough but, we couldn't let this go to waste just sitting there in Michener's drawer."

Tex took the small bag and held it up to the light, squinting at its contents. There was a collective gasp from the men at the counter as they recognized the little blue tablet. "Where did you say you got this?" Tex tucked the precious item into his shirt pocket.

"Michener had a meeting from some guys who want a loan to get the old Pfizer plant up and running again. They brought some samples and promised it wouldn't take long to have it back in action."

A rough looking man with a two day scruff and a hoodie sweatshirt asked Kara an urgent question. "Did the president agree to the loan?"

She smiled at the man. Clearly he wasn't the kind to wait around for things to happen. "Yes!"

The men at the bar exchanged delighted glances. "Viva la revolucion!" Shouted one.

Tex grinned. "You didn't have to thank me, but I think this is the sweetest gift anyone has ever given me." He kissed her on her cheek. "Ruby?" He called through the swinging door. Hang up your apron, we have plans for the entire afternoon!"

Turning back to Danny and Kara he winked and said "If you'll excuse me, I've got some urgent business to attend to." Before disappearing into the back.

They lingered a few minutes until another waitress brought Kara giant paper bag full of fries. "Ruby says your money is no good here. She can't thank you enough either."

Danny hefted the bag. "Holy cow! This is too much. They will be soggy before we can eat them all!" but Kara just thanked the woman and snaked her hand in the top to get one of the greasy treats.

"Oh hot!" He watched her hold it between her teeth lest she burn her lips. She chewed and swallowed and gave him a teasing grin. "Don't worry. I know a few tricks to perk them up if I need to."

He groaned. "Come on Commander, let's get you home before it's too late."

As they made the short trip back to their neighborhood, Kara munched on more fries. "These are so delicious. I'm so glad we decided to do this."

Danny was busy planning his course of action for the afternoon. "Mmhum."

Seeing that he was distracted, she decided it was the perfect time to strike. "What do you think about Nolan? Could you live with it?"

"Well, I'm certainly grateful for all he's done for us, but he was a pain in the ass as a roommate. I wouldn't call him an it…Oh" He saw where s was going with that. "Yeah, I could live with it."

Kara smiled into the bag of fries. Chandler had been correct. Sometimes you did just have to go for it when the moment was right!

*Sort of a preview because I haven't written much on the new fic yet, but being April 1st it seemed a good time to preview it. I think it's going to be a comedy so if you got the jokes in here and found it funny, let me know.


	2. Chapter 2 - Intergalactic

This chapter was prompted long conversations about what would a woman who was more worldly and sophisticated than I am, but about the same age, drink in 1999. My husband and I lived in a disgusting frat house in 1999 so we remember black and tans and brass monkey's which, through a long convoluted pathway, are related to spys and the same parent company. That was my inspiration for the long convoluted pathways connecting this event in 1999 to something in St. Louis.

 ****Intergalactic, Beastie Boys****

 _Newport, R.I., 1999_

Mike strode into the Pelham at precisely 7 PM. Tom had insisted that there was going to be a lot of brass at this shin-dig and he needed to be there, but he wasn't so sure. He had only arrived in Newport this morning and no one would care if an unknown junior lieutenant who hadn't even been on a ship in eleven years was there. But, it was his only chance to hob nob with Tom before he left for his first assignment since returning to the Navy and a wetting-down was always a good party. His new whites still felt scratchy and chaffed at his neck. He'd have to tell Christine to lay off the starch.

He followed the sounds of raucous music down a narrow hall until it opened to the back patio. It was already mobbed with officers, friends, and family. The guy hosting was dancing with a pretty redhead Mike assumed was his wife. Mike had never met him but Tom said he was a legend in the SEAL community and that was why it was so important they be there tonight. "These are the people we need to know if we're going to get the top assignments delivering these guys to critical zones." Tom had insisted when he called the other day. "This guy getting the promotion, Drazinski, I only met him a few weeks ago at my orientation up here, but word around here is he's Admiral Green's go-to guy so I wouldn't be surprised to see the top brass at the party." He spied Tom over by the bar chatting up a few other men he assumed were also instructors at the Naval War College.

"Hey Mike! I though you'd never get here." They clasped arms. "Commanders Horn and Farley, I'd like to introduce my good friend Mike Slattery, recently acquired from the Chicago PD. A better reader of human character and motivation you won't find anywhere."

Mike shook hands and went though the whole rigmarole of explaining how he could be jumping in as a lieutenant straight out of OCS. "Prior enlisted." Was all he wanted to say but somehow these guys who had been straight through seemed to be surprised that his experience as a detective got him so much credit toward rank. He didn't want to go into the details that he had used the fact that they recruited him to bargin hard. He could already tell that these guys were sharp, but they were just ordinary. The top billets would go to men like Tom, not these guys.

Eventually they moved off and he had a chance to order a beer. "So, this going to be the usual deal with speeches and toasts all that?" He asked Tom.

"I assume so. Drazinsky there is big into rewarding his men and the jump to commander means he has a lot to spend at the bar tonight. Your job here is to get your name out there but my job is to learn from that guy. He has an amazing record and his men practically worship the ground he walks on."

They watched as the new Commander paused in the middle of his dance, this time with a willowy blond, to talk to an ensign. "Sealy, can you show Miss, ah, this young lady, some Navy hospitality? I've got to go greet a few new arrivals. Pleasure to meet you ma'am." The woman shrugged and slid into the ensign's arms, all too happy to trade partners.

"Not his wife then?" Mike laughed.

"There's a cautionary tale there." The man was coming toward them. "I'll tell you all about it later." Tom set his empty bottle on the bar behind them.

Vince reached out a hand to Tom. "Lieutenant Chandler, so glad you made it. And who is your friend?" As they went through the introductions again, Mike studied Vince. He guessed he was in his early 40's. Physically, he was smaller than Mike, but then again almost everyone was. He appeared relaxed but Mike noticed that never turned his back to the door. And although he was wearing a dress uniform, there was the unmistakable outline of a knife at his ankle.

"Congratulations Sir." He made the necessary acknowledgment of the reason they were all there.

Vince laughed freely. "Glad you could join us Slattery. As you know the drinks are on me. I think the man you want to see is probably out on the patio with a few of the other mucky mucks." He nodded toward the doors open to the enclosed deck. The patio appeared to be mostly occupied by the younger set, but there were a few men standing with their backs to them, covers glinting with gold braid. Vince nodded to the bartender. "Can you make me a drink that looks like a soda?" The bartender raised a grizzled eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"How did you know that's what we're here for?" Tom leaned idly against the bar, but there was an unmistakable look of irritation in his eye at being so easily read.

The older man grinned. "I didn't but now I do." He nodded toward a freckled teen absorbed in a gameboy over in the corner. "Actually, this is for my young friend over there and I need some cover so the Admiral doesn't take my shiny new promotion away when he sees me recruiting his son with alcohol." He picked up the neon green glass and asked the bartender. "You still got that box I left up here?" The man nodded and handed over a heart shaped candy box.

"Alcohol and candy…nothing suspicious about a grown man approaching a teenage boy with that." Mike quipped and then held his breath hoping the man wasn't offended.

Vince chuckled and set the box on the bar. "It is a gift." He lifted the lid and they saw all his old collar tacks neatly pinned to the corrugated paper that lined the box. "Commander is as far as I intend to take myself."

"Consider the distraction done." Tom nodded and they headed for the patio. Fortunately, one of the men that had been talking to earlier was already in the circle discussing capabilities in the Middle East with Admiral Green and he quickly facilitated introductions. Mike and Tom threw in some observations of how things had changed since they were there in the early 90's and the Admiral never noticed as Vince sat down and chatted with his son.

"You, tall Lieutenant, what was your name again?" The Admiral squinted at Mike's nametag. Mike had to admit that although the man looked quite fit for a 63 year old, he sounded like an old man and despite his thick glasses, he seemed to be loosing his sight.

"Uh, Mike, Sir. Mike Slattery."

"Why do you keep looking over my head?" A couple of the other men covered their mouths to disguise their titters. Blushing Mike scrambled for a distraction, knowing the Admiral was seconds from turning around.

"Ah, looking for someone, sir."

A slender young woman was entering the bar behind them. Her pale skin was striking next to her royal blue sun-dress and dark hair. She paused, pushing her mirrored glasses up on her forehead and scanned the crowd, completely ignoring the many men that turned to get a better look at her.

"Ah, there she is now!" Mike gave a little wave to the woman, who ignored him like she did everyone else in the place.

The Admiral half turned and saw the woman. "She is lovely." He returned to face Mike and raised a brow in surprise, eyeing Mike's left hand. "But aren't you married?"

Shit, Mike had forgotten he was trying to make a good impression on the Admiral. He attempted to back pedal. "Uhm, well yes. You see my friend Tom here was wondering when this girl he's interested in would show up but he's not tall enough to see over the crowd. So I said I'd look out for her. But yes, I'm married. Actually I have a baby girl, Riley, she's my true love now." He reached for his wallet to pull out pictures.

Over the Admiral's shoulder he saw Vince hand the kid a the box, pat him on the back, and leave him to his video game to greet the new arrival. Crisis averted, he showed off his pictures and relaxed.

As the party wound down later, Tom and Mike leaned on the patio rail, enjoying a final round. "I can't believe you dragged me into that!" Tom hissed.

"What was I supposed to say? I couldn't very well let the Admiral think I was checking out women when I'm married."

Tom tipped his chin back with a bark of laughter. "I just went to the man's fourth wedding a month ago. Seriously Mike, he has a reputation for not taking marriage too seriously himself. It would have been alright."

They surveyed the remaining patrons as they sipped the cold beers. "Hum, too bad she's not still here. She looked like your kind of woman."

"Who did?" The voice came from the shadows where the patio fencing met the building. The woman in question stepped forward into the light, a bemused smile on her face. Her milky white skin glowed against the backdrop of the twilight and Mike noticed that although she had addressed him, her eyes were all for Tom.

"You did." Mike answered her but she still didn't look his way. Damn. He knew he was wearing a wedding ring but chicks usually at least gave him the once over.

"And what kind of woman do you think I am?" She took another step closer into the patio lights but stopped ever so slightly too far away to shake hands. Mike realized that she was younger than he had first assumed, maybe even fresh out of college.

Tom pushed out his upper lip in an expression that Mike knew meant he was weighing his words carefully. He watched as Tom's blue eyes swept her from top to bottom. She didn't flinch or blush or anything. She might be young, but she had nerves of steel. "I'd say you're the kind who likes a challenge. You like to live a little closer to the edge than most. You're probably very intelligent, and maybe a little eccentric." He ticked up a brow as he awaited her response. The only clue that she had heard what he said was a tiny curve to her lips. The silence stretched a bit longer than was comfortable for Mike but neither Tom nor the woman looked the least bit perturbed. Finally Tom thrust a hand in her direction. "Where are my manners? Tom Chandler, US Navy. And this here is.."

She nodded toward Mike's name tag. "Slattery." She stepped forward, shaking first his hand and then Tom's. When Tom didn't let go of her hand the bemused smile returned.

"And you are? He prompted. He was beginning to feel like the third wheel. Perhaps he should go thank Vince for a great party and head back to his hotel. He had a long drive to Virginia tomorrow morning and Christine would not be happy if he didn't take the time to come home and spend an hour or so before reporting for duty tomorrow night.

"Intrigued by your friend here." There was a hint of amusement in her voice this time. "You are right Tom. I do like a challenge." She nodded toward the bar. "How about this. You go get me a drink. If I like what you choose, we can get to know each other a little better." Tom's eye's widened. "And no asking the bartender what I had before. I'll be able to see you at the bar from here."

"Very well." Tom inclined his brow and strode into the bar, leaving Mike alone with the strange woman.

"It's Sasha by the way." She told Mike without looking in his direction. "It was nice to meet you but now is the time for you to remember you have an early appointment."

Despite himself, Mike felt his lips stretch into a grin. "It was nice to meet you too Sasha. He's a little intense but I'm guessing you'll dig that. Maybe we'll meet again." They watched as Tom took his time crossing the room to the bar. He said something that made the Admiral laugh, stopped to say something to their host, and got asked a question by a circle of young ensigns.

"He's destined for command, isn't he?" Sasha asked Mike. Realizing she was referring to the way Tom naturally worked the room and not his naval skills Mike considered for a moment. He'd known Tom intended to stay for his entire career but right now he wasn't an officer of the line, he was running ops from behind the scenes. But now that she'd said it, he realized why it was so important to Tom to be here, and make connections, and why he was at the Naval War College. He wasn't just thinking of leaving the field, he was thinking of switching career tracks altogether. Whoever this woman was, she was sharp.

He turned to face her fully. She had delicate features but her eyes were bright and her posture and bearing were strong and confident. He liked her already. Still, "He's one of the best men I've ever worked with, in either of my careers." he told her honestly, hoping she understood the implied warning. She nodded and pinched her lips together, as if amused that he thought he could protect a man like Tom, but she said nothing in return.

Tom accepted three drinks from the bartender and returned to the patio cradling them between his long fingers. He set them on a high top. "I told you to pick, not to narrow it down to three." Despite her tone of voice, she was smiling for real this time. Mike was dazzled. Yeah, this one would give Tom a run for his money for sure.

"You're not going to pick. I'll have the scotch, neat. You'll have the Manhattan, and Mike will have the water, because he'll be leaving us to get to know one another better."

Tom and Sasha both stared expectantly at Mike. He gulped the water rapidly. "Yep, I'm going. I have to be up early. Ma'am" he would let Tom enjoy the challenge of getting her name, "Nice to meet you. Tom, call me, yeah?"

He didn't wait for them to reply, just set down the empty glass and returned inside. He wished he could stay and see how this evening played out or that Tom was one to kiss and tell, but he knew neither was going to happen. He began making his way toward the coat check to retrieve his cover but then he thought about how Tom had made an effort to talk to people and make sure he left a favorable impression. With a sigh he turned and sought out their host to make a polite goodbye. Vince roped him into a conversation with a few other lieutenants about interrogation tactics and the next time he looked up, both Tom and the mysterious woman were gone.


End file.
